Resource

Reminder By Charles J. Carter, S.E., P.E., Ph.D.

There’s a lot to know about AISC and its many resources.

Many of you are familiar with NBC’s educational ➤ Seminars. If you’re more interested in the live-and-in-
and public service message campaign “The More You Know.” person approach, check out www.aisc.org/seminars for
(If not, you can check it out, beginning with Tom Brokaw's first our schedule of live seminars.
message back in 1989, on YouTube.) ➤ Historic standards. Ever want to find an old version
Today, it’s time for some AISC resources that truly meet the of the AISC Specification? They're all online here at
goal of “knowing more.” Do you know where your handy AISC www.aisc.org/standards.
resources are? If so, great! If not, now you do. And to borrow This list also includes old versions of the AISC Code
another well-known quote from TV-land, courtesy of G.I. Joe, of Standard Practice, Seismic Provisions and other AISC
“Knowing is half the battle.” standards, as well as the RCSC Specification. There are
➤ AESS help. A very good guide to architecturally exposed even a few classic AISC Manuals posted. More of these
structural steel (AESS) decision-making is available at are coming.
www.modernsteel.com/aess2003. This guide will help ➤ Out-of-print AISC publications. Ever hear of the
you manage costs and expectations for AESS. AISC pub Guide for the Analysis of Guy and Stiffleg Der-
➤ Research results. AISC research reports from the last ricks? This and more than a score of other out-of-print
30 years of projects are available at www.aisc.org/ AISC publications are available as PDFs at www.aisc.
researchlibrary. org/pastpubs.
➤ Webinars. AISC webinars are popular, and most people ➤ NASCC session recordings. Since 2008, all NASCC
make time to hear them live. But if you missed one, or want sessions have been made available after the show as free
to remember what was said, you can watch it at www.aisc. recordings. So, to hear one from 2008, visit www.aisc.
org/webinars. (Click the links at the bottom of the page.) org/2008nascconline. (For any other year since then,
just change the year in the link.) And for pre-2008 shows,
many session papers also are available here: www.aisc.
org/searchtaxonomy/proceedings.
Charlie Carter (carter@aisc.org) is ➤ AISC design examples. Did you know that there are
a vice president and chief structural more than 150 design examples that illustrate the use of
engineer with AISC. the AISC Specification and AISC Steel Construction Man-
ual? That's almost 1,000 pages of free info. Find it all
here: www.aisc.org/designexamples.
➤ Spec and manual references. Ever try to find a reference
in the AISC Specification or the AISC Manual? It's easier
with this interactive list: www.aisc.org/references.
➤ Simple steel design. Want simple design tips? Here are
two 5×8 cards in PDF form that provide the design rules
for almost everything that's routine in the design of steel
buildings: www.aisc.org/designcards. Try that with any
other material!
➤ Old shapes. We have scanned our collection of old shape
catalogs and posted the PDFs at www.aisc.org/oldshapes.
april 2014
 Quick Hits
Here are a few more intuitively named links to get you where you need to go:
The Code: www.aisc.org/code The Seismic Manual: www.aisc.org/seismicmanual
AISC publications: www.aisc.org/epubs Facts about steel buildings: www.aisc.org/facts
Frequently-asked technical questions: www.aisc.org/faq Free publications: www.aisc.org/freepubs
Shape availability: www.aisc.org/availability SteelDay: www.aisc.org/steelday
Shape database: www.aisc.org/shapesdatabase University programs:
Bending steel: www.aisc.org/benders www.aisc.org/universityprograms
HSS info: www.aisc.org/HSS National Student Steel Bridge Competition:
Seismic information: www.aisc.org/seismicresources www.aisc.org/studentbridge
Steel and sustainability: www.aisc.org/sustainability World Steel Bridge Symposium:
Weathering steel: www.aisc.org/weathering www.steelbridges.org-wsbs
The Manual: www.aisc.org/manual NASCC: www.aisc.org/nascc

You also can find info on old shapes in AISC's Design Guide out more at www.aisc.org/joinaisc. You can also search
No. 15 at www.aisc.org/epubs. for member companies at www.aisc.org/members. If
➤ EJ. The current issue of AISC’s Engineering Journal is you’re already a member, you can find a list of resources,
free to view with our digital reader. Members can also events, news and market information at www.aisc.org/
download past papers for free at www.aisc.org/ej. membersonly.
➤ Just the facts, Ma’am. There’s a lot of misinformation ➤ We have solutions! Have a technical question about steel
out there, especially on topics like fire design, blast, pro- construction? Interested in a conceptual solution for a
gressive collapse, fatigue and non-building structures steel project? The Steel Solutions Center can help you
here. Find the facts here in a series of free downloads: out: www.aisc.org/solutions.
www.aisc.org/special. ➤ A steel bridge to somewhere. For all things steel
➤ Clean up. Want to change your column size to elimi- bridges, check out the National Steel Bridge Alliance
nate stiffeners and doublers? Get CleanColumns at page at www.steelbridges.org.
www.steeltools.org. There are many other utilities ➤ Best bridges: NSBA also holds a bridge design comple-
that you and your engineering peers have created and tion, the Prize Bridge Awards, every two years. Find out
shared as well. See what you can find and consider what more at www.aisc.org/prizebridge.
you can share. ➤ Historic manuals. AISC Manuals live long lives. And they
➤ Papers, please. As of 2012, there have been 42 recipients often have many owners. Are you looking for an old AISC
of AISC's T.R. Higgins Lectureship Award. See the list Manual? You can probably find it at www.ebay.com. In
and read their papers at www.aisc.org/higgins (click on general, the older it is, the more you can expect to pay. But
Past Winners). the 1930s-era 2nd Edition is more rare than the 1920s-era
➤ And the winner is… Speaking of awards, AISC has 1st Edition, so it generally tips the scale at the highest rate.
several awards programs for people, projects and more. Another possible source: www.powells.com.
They’re all listed at www.aisc.org/awards. ➤ Be studious. Did you know that AISC administers almost
➤ Certifiable. AISC maintains its Certification program for $150,000 is scholarships each year? They’re all described
fabricators and erectors. Why is that a good thing? Click here: www.aisc.org/scholarships. Note that some
here to find out: www.aisc.org/certification. Want to scholarships (such as the Ratterman Fast-Start Scholar-
search for a Certified company? Go here: www.aisc.org/ ships) are for children of employees of AISC full member
certsearch. companies.
➤ In their own words. AISC’s Podcast Series looks at ➤ Your neck of the woods. Want to find out what’s going
some of the people who have helped make steel design on in your region? Or maybe schedule a visit or pre-
and construction easier and faster. See the list of them sentation with one of AISC’s regional engineers? Go to
here, and hear what they have to say about engineer- www.aisc.org/myregion.
ing, construction and life in general: www.aisc.org/ ➤ Architecture awards of the past. While today we have
podcasts. our IDEAS2 Awards for engineers and architects, we used
➤ Talk is cheap. Or in this case, free! Is your SEA or fab- to have Architectural Awards of Excellence. The winners
ricator group looking for information about the latest were detailed in many annual brochures, all of which are
trends, techniques and information on steel design and posted at www.aisc.org/awardsarchive.
construction? AISC offers free one-hour SteelTalks on a This is just a taste of what’s available at AISC’s online home.
variety of topics: www.aisc.org/steeltalks. Feel free to start from the beginning at www.aisc.org and go
➤ Membership has its privileges. Indeed it does. Find exploring on your own.  ■

 Modern STEEL CONSTRUCTION